Santa Cruz looking into anti-homeless sentiments online
Homeless advocates in Santa Cruz are raising concerns over social media posts they say threaten the homeless.
They point to the Facebook group “Santa Cruz Looks Like S–t,” where you will find plenty of concerned residents posting about the homeless and the problems they say arise in their neighborhoods.
The comments are mostly civil, but some advocates say a handful are not.
“Things like we need some baseball bats, three Louisville sluggers needed, my dog likes raw meet, make these people feel as uncomfortable as possible, bang on the RVs, shake it,” said Alicia Kuhl, the director of Santa Cruz County Homeless Advocates.
KION could not find any of these comments independently. But it is something the Santa Cruz Public Safety Committee is taking seriously.
“I think what we’re seeing online through social media is a much larger trend that we’re seeing across the nation with the demonization of people experiencing poverty and the dehumanization of people experiencing homelessness,” said Drew Glover, a Santa Cruz city councilmember.
Glover says with the closure of the Ross homeless camp in early May, many of the homeless have taken off to the forests, neighborhoods and downtown business nooks.
“So there’s a lot more interaction with individuals on a daily basis with people experiencing homelessness, it’s a lot more visible in places around Santa Cruz,” said Glover.
Homeless advocates believe the camp’s closure and the flooding of homeless into the community is flaring up the tensions between residents and the homeless.
Santa Cruz police say they have investigated cases where homeless are assaulted, but they are not aware of any crimes against homeless related to social media rants.
“We are hoping to continue to as a community, and we are part of the community, to establish that tone and make sure we have civil discourse and civil disagreements,” said Santa Cruz Deputy Police Chief Daniel Flippo.
Police do say a lot of speech is protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution, and they are limited in how they can respond to online posts, even if they are threats.
But police encourage people to report anything they find alarming. For advocates, it is all about treating the homeless with respect.
“We need to stop treating unhoused people like they deserve this kind of thing or that it’s acceptable to treat them like that. It’s absolutely not acceptable,” said Kuhl.
While advocates admit there is high vacancy at some available shelters in the city, they claim homeless do not want to go to those because the rules are too strict.
